Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
How the Printing Press Revolutionized the Information Infra-
structure
The increase of literacy among the growing middle class led to an increased
demand for topics; however, hand copying was time-consuming and could not
accommodate the demand. Johannes Gutenberg was able to combine advance-
ments in paper presses, metalwork, and engineering to develop a printing press
with movable type. Gutenberg improved the printing process by refining both type-
setting and the printing process.
Another important development that facilitated transfer of information was evol-
ution of the codex format, which originated during the Roman Empire. The codex,
the topic form we are familiar with, proved far superior to scrolls because pages
could be easily turned and it was more compact and less costly.
Other economic factors were the capability of printing on both sides of a page in
the codex format and the development of thinner paper to replace parchment. The
availability of paper and an improved process of printing revolutionized the repro-
duction, mass production, and dissemination of information at a time when a grow-
ing middle class needed education and materials to enable widespread teaching
and learning.
Mass Production and Spread of Printed Topics
The invention of mechanical movable-type printing led to a large increase in
printing activities across Europe. Printing spread to cities throughout Europe by the
end of the 15th century. European printing presses in 1600 were capable of produ-
cing 3,600 impressions per day, compared to movable-type printing in Asia, where
printing was done by manually rubbing the back of the paper to the typeset page,
which would produce forty pages per day. The improvement of publishing potential
resulted in faster dissemination of ideas. More than 750,000 copies of Erasmus's
work were distributed during his lifetime. Martin Luther's works were distributed in
300,000 printed copies. The improvement in speed and quality of the printing pro-
cess led to the publishing of newspapers for transmitting current information to the
public.
Newspapers
For more than two centuries, the newspaper has served as a staple in the
information infrastructure, and it has been convulsing with the immense change
brought by new technologies and communication media. A newspaper is a period-
ical publication that usually contains news of current events, informative articles,
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